satan's cheerleaders

Trixi Stix and Lucky Dukes founded the Satan’s Cheerleaders, Squad 666, in 1995 as a complement to The Flametrick Subs, a local Austin psychobilly band. Ruby Lamb joined in 2001.

photo by Bob Sherman

the flametrick subs

Together The Flametricks and The Cheerleaders engaged in glorious hijinx too numerous to detail, but some highlights include playing the God Games show at E3, opening for The Cramps at Stubbs, playing with Reverend Horton Heat during SXSW, filming a DVD at Antone’s, and touring the West Coast. The group had longtime residencies first at The Black Cat Lounge and then Beerland, and frequent gigs at Dallas’s Club Clearview, Houston’s Continental Club, and Oklahoma City’s Green Door.

not just dancers

In addition to musical cameos with other bands, the squad found the time to hostess parties (including several for Richard Garriott), perform at movie premieres, moonlight as bodyguards, and maintain an extensive selection of promotional merchandise. The squad made appearances in Bizarre Magazine, and at ComicCon, many hotrod shows, and even on the Learning Channel (Ruby Lamb’s initiation narrated by Dweezil Zappa). The girls choreographed offbeat performances for events like Extravagasm, Austin (Satan) Swim, and The Erotic Carnival. They leant their talents to many, many benefits because (as it became known) they really were very nice bad girls.

these days

On October 31 of 2007, The Satan’s Cheerleaders performed their last regular show with The Flametrick Subs, but they have played a few reunion shows since then. Although not currently active, The Satan’s Cheerleaders will not disband. Their lifetime identity as bad girls doing good things means they are liable to show up sometime, somewhere, when you don’t expect it.